Collaborative sharing of electronic documents is a common use of the Internet. An electronic mail message, also known as an email message, is an example of a collaborative document. Typically, an email system comprises a server-based email computer program operating on a server computer, that manages the exchange of email messages over one or more networks, and a client-based email computer program operating on a client computer to implement a mail box that receives and holds email messages for a user. Typically, client-based email computer programs also include a graphical user interface (GUI) to enable a user to open and read email messages in addition to creating new email messages. An email system may use a client-server model, where an email message is sent from a server to a client. A user of the client may view a copy of the email message on a local computer. Alternatively, an email system may use an internet model where the email message is stored on a server, and a user of the system may view the email message on the server through an internet connection with the local machine of the user.
An ‘email client’ is a client-based email computer program.
An email message typically comprises metadata, a message body, and header information (for example, a distribution list). The metadata structure comprises information about the email message, the body, and the header information. Typically, metadata is not displayed by an email client.
Typically, sent email messages, are routed to a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) delivery server or a mail router, and then forwarded to those listed on the email. Email messages within an email system have a consistent structure: for example, a distribution list, a subject, a body and attachments. Email messages may be as rich in content and as long as necessary.
Users often send email messages to multiple recipients. A recipient of an email message may reply to a sender of the email message. A reply message is itself an email message and is sent using email transmission protocols. A reply message does not alter the original email message, but is a separate email message. Reply messages may be associated with the original email message to create a history record of an email communication. A reply message may be made solely to the sender of an email message, or to the sender and all recipients (‘reply-to-all’) of an email message. Typically, the reply message may also include a copy of the original email message text body, or a copy of the original email message text body, which a replying user has annotated. However, a problem exists with replying to an email message sent to multiple recipients, as the sender of the email message must collate information from multiple replies, before the sender and the recipients can see a consistent view of the email message and the multiple replies. Even if a recipient copies the other recipients on a reply (for example by using a reply-to-all option), the entire process of collecting reply information generates many email messages between the sender and recipients, and becomes very time consuming for the original sender or those users on the distribution list to keep track of all of the responses. The process also consumes many computer resources.